POP'AFRICANA's FIRST OFFICIAL ISSUE

The first issue of Pop'Africana is dropping soon. Get yourself a new perspective on Africa's fashion and art scenes.

ANTHONY FROM PROJECT RUNWAY: GIVE THIS MAN HIS OWN SHOW

If you've been following Project Runway, Season 7, you already know that Anthony L. Williams (also affectionately known as Suzanne Sugarbaker on the boards over at Gawker) is enjoying cult status as the one bright spot of the season. A true audience favorite, Anthony is all at once talented, witty and earthy, and who wouldn't want to spend time hanging with him whether he's working on his latest design confection, stepping to church, or just whipping up a southern plate of neckbones and rice with some cornbread and greens. All the while sating your appetite for homespun witticisms.

Whether he'll place in the top three remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure, a star has been born. I just hope the powers that be recognize it.

HARLEM'S BEST KEPT SECRET: JONATHAN BODRICK OF J.B. B.O.R.N.

I've had the pleasure and opportunity of knowing, and occasionally working with Jonathan Bodrick for over a year now, and as this article from Black Gay Gossip can attest, he is the Real Deal. His innate sense of what works for both men and women fashion-wise is impeccable, and you get the extra added bonus of experiencing his sharp and incisive wit, to boot, pardon the pun.

I've brought my mother, cousins, cousin's cousins and anybody else I could corral to his store, and they've all been made believers - not that it was all too hard to convince them that they could use the benefit of his expertise when it comes to putting together the perfect vintage/up-to-date mash up.

So congrats, Jonathan. Keep doing your thing, man!

Photo & Article Source

ALICIA KEYS, CHANEL IMAN, AMERICA FERRARA & PAULA PATTON DO ICONS FOR GLAMOUR

The current issue of Glamour Magazine showcases a few familiar faces in an homage to female American Icons. Nice.


Alicia Keys as First Lady Michelle Obama
























Chanel Iman as Althea Gibson
























Paula Patton as Billie Holliday


















America Ferrara as Dolores Huerta

Hood By Air: Can You Deal?

Paris Fashion Week 2009: Kanye West And Crew At Comme Des Carcon Show

My good friend Antoinette hipped me to this shot from Jak & Jil Blog. Yes, that's homeboy and his crew at the Comme Des Carcon show.

Say what you want about Mr. Kanye West, and his ego, but I like a brother who keeps his mind squarely focused on the abstract. I also like the fact that he redefines so-called hardcore rap fashion and embraces and endorses change and makes no apology for his taste in clothes and art. But his detractors seem to want to give him a hard time for it. Recently, a rumor involving Kanye wanting to do bi-porn hit the internets and Kanye posted a disclaimer on his blog, attributing the rumors to hackers who got into his My Space and gmail accounts:

YOOOO WHY WON'T YOU LET ME BE GREAT!!! I HAD THE TWO GREATEST DAYS OF MY LIFE AND WHEN I GET BACK FROM THE LOUIE SHOW I READ SOME SHIT CLAIMING I SAID I'M DOWN TO DO PORN AND SOME BISEXUAL PORN!!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE THE AVN WOULD POST FIRST PEOPLE BELIEVED THE TWITTER/STEVEN COLBERT THING, ROLLING STONE EVEN PRINTED IT!!!! NOW SOMEBODY HAS BEEN HACKING INTO MY MYSPACE AND SOMEBODY'S ACTUALLY HACKED INTO MY PERSONAL GMAIL ACCOUNT AND HAS BEEN EMAILING PEOPLE FROM IT... HEY WORLD I NO LONGER HAVE A GMAIL! I FOUND OUT I HAD TWELVE UNAUTHORIZED SKYPE ACCOUNTS UNDER MY NAME!!! THIS ALL IN THE PAST FOUR DAYS. WELCOME TO KANYE WEST WORLD! .... IT'S NOT OFFICIAL. I JUST GAVE THE PERFORMANCE OF MY LIFETIME FOR OUR NEW PRESIDENT ... THEN I FLEW TO PARIS AND THEY DEBUTED MY NEW SHOES THAT I DESIGNED WITH LOUIE VUITTON WHICH WAS A DREAM COME TRUE. PLEASE I BEG YOU, GIVE ME A BREAK!!!!! PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LET ME BE GREAT!!! WHO HAVE I HURT SO BAD THAT THEY WANT TO DESTROY ME? WHO HAVE I EVER SPOKE ABOUT SO NEGATIVELY?

Why Can't You Let Me Be Great?! You gotta LOVE a motherfucker who has the temerity to make such a statement in the blogosphere, especially in this, The Age of Snark. And I will say this: Not since the heyday of Prince has there been a major black artist who gives you the unexpected, isn't afraid of innovation and evolves with each recording project, like it or not. So thanks, Kanye for at least having the BALLS to be different. It takes a real man to pull it off.

That said, I also have a bone to pick. I don't think that he makes it easier on himself by being so dramatic about this shit. A lot of forward-thinking rock and pop stars like Prince, David Bowie and even to some extent, Michael Jackson, didn't give a good goddamn what people thought about bisexual and gay rumors, and although there was some strong evidence against them in some cases, I believe they had fun with it. In fact, I'll bet they even encouraged it. The women ate that shit up. Maybe it's harder for him since he's in the rap game, which is historically homophobic and relies on a strict set of paramaters when it comes to defining and portraying one's manhood. But perhaps it's time to bust out of that box and breathe some new life into a genre that hasn't really evolved or shown any substantial innovation since the advent of gangsta rap, in my opinion. If you're going to portray yourself as someone who doesn't follow the status quo, then just relax and go with that shit. Your audience as a whole might not like it, but most of them will eventually accept you for what you are as long as your producing good art. I've been quite bored with the last 10 years of the same shit said over and over and over and again, so it's great to be surprised once in a while.

So do what you do and chill, man. You know peoples are gonna get all ill about colors and clothes that be fitting. What did you expect? Stay true to you, and those who get it, will, and those who don't, will fall by the wayside. In time, perhaps, they'll look back and acknowledge that you was ahead of the game. And if they don't, fuck them.

BONUS BEATS:

Concrete Loop gots some dope pics of Kanye and Marc Jacobs debuting some fresh Louis Vuitton sneakers.

More Sasha Fierce News: Introducing - The Sasha Fierce Doll

First daughters Malia and Sasha Obama, who will from now on be referred to here as The Real Sasha Fierce here at Beezo Blue, have been immortalized as Beanie Babies. According to an article on The Huffington Post, the manufacturer, Ty,Inc. appears to cashing in on the girls' major popularity and influence. The dolls, named "Sweet Sasha" and "Marvelous Malia." (I dunno, they kinda sound like stripper names to me) supposedly do not refer to President Barack Obama's daughters, a spokeswoman for the company says, and are part of a collection called "TyGirlz Collection." Yeah, note the "z", y'all. The Sasha doll has pigtails and wears a white and pink dress with hearts. The Malia doll has a side ponytail and a long-sleeve shirt with capri pants.
They also say they chose the names because "they are beautiful names," not because of any resemblance to Malia and Sasha Obama, said spokeswoman Tania Lundeen.

Read more about it here.

"There's nothing on the dolls that refers to the Obama girls," Lundeen said. "It would not be fair to say they are exact replications of these girls. They are not."
The dolls have bronze skin and "real doll hair," Lundeen said. They were introduced in early January and a limited supply has been shipped to retailers.

THIS...........IS SASHA FIERCE

Face it. She has no equal.

How It's Done Part One: Kanye West Rocks The Louie V.

Kanye West gets all ferocious and shit in a classic Louis Vuitton tux with a faux-fur stole at Flaunt Magazine's 10th Anniversay Party. A reminder brothers - get your ass together and wear joints that fit. And for those who can't deal, fall back and stay back, cause I'm moving ahead.

How It's Done Part Two: Alica Keys Is Thick (And That's A Good Thing)

Alicia Keys is looking quite healthy and natural in this shot of her vacationing in Australia. This is how it's done, ladies. Now go and eat a damn sammich!


From Bossip

Top Designers Offer Designs For Michelle Obama's Inauguration Dress

First Lady Michelle Obama is being courted by the denizens of fashion's high court in the hopes that she will choose one of their designs to wear at what will surely be the party event of the new century. Among the 35 sketches of those who've submitted designs are: Christian Lacroix, Carolina Herrera, Karl Lagerfeld, Koi Suwanagate, and Marc Jacobs. To peep more click here. Featured are submissions from (clockwise) Koi Suwannagate, Marc Jacobs, Monique Lhuillier and Badgley Mischka. Do your thing, Michelle.

Corto Moltedo Bag

Shiny Black Thing.

Use your card here

Givenchy High Top Trainers

More Shiny Black Stuff:

I'm gonna be upfront about this; if I jump into these, it won't be to go jogging, alright?

available @ the corner

POP'AFRICANA

I gotta love my great friend, San Francisco based graphic artist/designer Antoinette Celes, for keeping me up on the latest fashion trends! She recently emailed me about a fashion & art magazine called Pop'Africana, which is the brainchild of Oroma Elewa, who aside from being the founder and editor, also happens to be a stylist and photographer. With the recent wobbly state of print magazines nowadays, I can't help but feel a bit nervous about her chances at success with this endeavor, but I will say that this project perhaps has a built-in niche market to tap into as I've alluded to in a previous article I wrote recently for Radar Magazine Online.

Here's a sample of what's inside:

The above pages feature the fashions of Francis Stallings (lace trimmed suit), Kiki de Montparnesse (panty with bows), Yves Saint Laurent, and the art of MECURA (eyewear). For more detailed pix, go here.

It's clear that this sister knows her stuff, so let's wish her all the best!

Those Headphones

Oh, by the way, those headphones in the pic from the previous post are from Swarovski. I came across them via Hypebeast. Encrusted in Amethyst Crystals, they run about 1670 Euros, which amounts to $2,404.00 in US coinz. Phab if you got it like that and want to listen to music lovely.